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What's an acromioplasty? My sister is having one next month. I'm supposed to go help take care of her after the operation.

The acromion is a piece of bone that's part of the shoulder blade. It curves above the shoulder joint and attaches to the collar bone. A tendon from the rotator cuff called the supraspinatus goes under the acromion and attaches to the shoulder joint. When the acromion pinches against the tendon, it causes a painful condition called shoulder
impingement.

Acromioplasty is the removal of a piece of acromion process and may be done as part of a repair of the rotator cuff. It takes the pressure off the supraspinatus tendon and relieves the pain. You can see an easy to understand picture of this at: http://www.doereport.com/generateexhibit.php?ID=4190 ">
http://www.doereport.com/generateexhibit.php?ID=4190

Reference: 

John W. Sperling, MD, et al. Rotator Cuff Repair in Patients Fifty Years of Age and
Younger. In Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. October 2004. Vol. 86-A. No. 10.
Pp.2212-2215.

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